Landscape design

Design and the umbrella revolution

An exhibition at the Vitra Design Museum explores the role of design as a tool of communication and non-violent protest in the student demonstrations of 2014 in Hong Kong

Up to 29 May 2016 the Vitra Design Museum of Weil am Rhein presents Objection! Protest by Design, the exhibition that explores, through a series of objects, the role of art and design in the civil protest movement that erupted in the fall of 2014 in Hong Kong. Faced with reforms to the electoral system for the 2017 election that would limit the democratic selection of political candidates, the student movement gathered in the square in front of the government’s offices, crossing a security barrier and thus starting a real act of civil disobedience.

The protestors decided spontaneously to protect themselves from the tear gas and water cannon, used to disperse the crowd, with a seemingly infinite number of umbrellas that gave their name to the demonstration, known as the Umbrella Revolution, and thus became the logo and symbol of the protest. Along with the umbrellas numerous other objects were deployed, like colourful tents, note cards and graphic materials that extolled democracy, which offered a non-violent response to the new policies introduced by politicians.

Tents, Hong Kong, 2014. (Photo: David Leung. Courtesy MIRO)

Curated by Janna Lipsky, the exhibition focuses on the role of design — which the collective imagination has always associated with production and consumption — in the context of political and social transformations. Design, in this sense, becomes a communication tool whose value is based on the power of the message that it is able to express, irrespective of is quantitative or hedonic value. Social and political rights became intertwined with the communicative character of design. The city, decorated with colours, words and objects was photographed and shared on the main social networks, and made its way around the world, conveying the scope and significance of the protest.

Zona studio, Hong Kong, 2014. (Foto: David Leung. Courtesy: MIRO)

The selection of the objects on display was entrusted to Michael Leung and Rony Chan, two promising young designers known as MIRO, who were trained in both Hong Kong, where they opened their own studio in 2010, and in Europe.

Set as a journey back in time, the exhibition at the Vitra Design Museum...

5 February 2020

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